LET’S DO THIS

By Nancy French 09 Jan 2008

Hello, Mitt friends! I know you’re all curious as to whether I’m keeping my New Year’s Resolution, and the answer is yes. Monday/Wed/Fri I go to the gym with Tabby and Monica whose names I can mention because they wouldn’t read this blog if I held a gun to their heads. Tuesdays I jog with a woman who fluctuates between being a Republican and a Democrat. Thursdays I swim with my two children, who threw their support behind Gov. Romney a couple of years ago. At any rate, I don’t want y’all to be dispirited about last night’s second place showing in New Hampshire (this is when we really miss David’s analysis) so here goes.Number One: Mitt leads in a significant way: more delegates. (He has 30, Huck has 21, McCain has 10, Fred has 6. Ron Paul, it should be noted, has more delegates than Rudy.)Number Two: Gov. Romney has an across-the-board conservativism that used to be normal within Republican circles. Competing against Mike “I love Jesus and Taxes” Huckabee, John McCain-Feingold, and a pro-choice Rudy, he fills a strategic space in this race.Number Three: The convention wisdom about “momentum” is gone. While we originally thought we could springboard from Iowa and New Hampshire into South Carolina and beyond, this isn’t gonna happen. Oddly, however, no candidate has momentum. Gov. Romney consistently performs well, while others yo-yo in and out of favor. As Stanley Kurtz wrote, “Momentum is out and substance is in.”Number Four: He’s got a ground game in Michigan and will make a decent showing there. (He grew up there, and his dad is a well-loved former Governor of the state.) He’s favored in upcoming Nevada. A good showing in Michigan and a victory in Nevada could weed out some of the competition, solidify our national name recognition, and convince some fence-sitting South Carolinians.Number Five: Heck, the guy is a “turnaround” artist. Now, let’s sit back and see what happens. Actually, let’s don’t “sit back.” Have you donated yet? If you’ve maxed out already, you now can “max out” again for the “general election.” (If any of y’all want to do donate, e-mail me. One of our EFMers is collecting money on behalf of the Governor and we can channel your donation through him.) Do you have a yard sign up? (I half expect the neighborhood association to knock on my door with a new “Fred Thompson Signage Only” provision.) Is your car covered in Mitt stickers?
We’ve come this far. Now is not the time for restraint or desperation. Now is the time to differentiate ourselves from the pack, to get more delegates, and to win this nomination. Let’s do it.

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